I finished Why Don’t Student’s Like School? I am focused on one detail. If we rely on the internet to provide our working memory, are we underutilizing our brains, or openign up our brains to do other, more creative work?
I am just wrapping up Raising Cain regarding how we can more effectively develop the emotional life of boys. As the dad of three boys, I wish I had found this book a long time ago.
http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix.php
The education world loves a matrix– here is an interactive one that can help assess where you are and where you want to go.
Frank Locker & I were in Columbus last week working with the Ohio School Facilities Commission and about 20 schools from around Ohio. A NING site has been set up– please check it out.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/project-based-learning-math-standards
Todd Wester in Livngston has been a part of a great project based learnign exercise– check out these links:
NRCS video:
Sampling Analysis Plan:
This final report includes images from the Livingston Enterprise on a storm-drain labeling project done by 7th-grade life science students.
Check this out: things that will be obsolete in 2020:
http://www.21stcenturyfluency.com/blogpost.cfm?blogID=1831
http://matr.net/article-44087.html
I have been working with 5th graders @ Cold Springs Elementary on stand up desks. In 20 minutes we conducted research and development and built three stand up desks for three young learners who needed non-standard furnishings to match their learning style.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number
The research behind the value of small learning communities.
http://www.nssea.org/sesgrants/
The dealine for grants has past– but keep an eye out for next year– Flexible furniture is the low hanging fruit of school transformation.
Hard to get back in the habit of contributing to this blog. In the next few weeks I will be making the shift to a facebook presence for the Visionary School Network. In the mean time I have some new links to pass along.
Here is an opportunity to apply learning to the real world, and earn financial support for college.
Stop When The School Bus Stops – State Law
As big as the minute it takes her
To race across the state highway
Head down, knock-kneed,
Her quilted jacket hood pointed to the sky;
A lunch box clatters from one hand,
She clutches books intently.
Behind her, the bus waits, red lights flashing, and all
The cars lined up behind it
Stop When The School Bus Stops
State Law.
Oblivious that she is the center of the world’s attention,
She’s home safe in the big front yard
Before the old white house, behind worn iron palings.
The school bus starts again.
Cars move. We have not regretted
The “minute of our valuable time”
We stopped when the school bus stops –
(State Law).
It is March.
A dry leaf with no more chance than a frog in summer
Hops across the road and under my moving wheels.
I am back in the world of push and shove and newspapers.
War scare headlines on the stand
And minutes of our valuable time.
But oh count it a privilege
To have gained one minute’s glimpse of grace:
The bowed head, the intent face,
The clattering box, the pointed mackinaw
And the string of cars lined up
Stopped when the School Bus Stops
State Law.
Peter Salmon
March 1971
Sherry Turkle was on Science Friday last week discussing her book Alone Together.
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0465010210/sciencefriday/
I only caught a portion of the interview– but her comments about young people using texting rather than voice got my attention. The author of a text feels they are in control of their performance. What happens when that performance falls flat or is misinterpreted? In a voice conversation we have social cues that help us adjust, our message might not be understood, but we re-state our meaning. Is texting high stakes performance?
Big Picture/MET